NFL Notes

During a 7-on-7 drill in shorts Monday at Washington Redskins training camp in Richmond, Va., Robert Griffin III rolled left and couldn't find an open receiver. He started to scramble, saw a lane and ran for 15 yards.

Then he hit the turf, with typical RG3 flair. He performed a half-speed slide and rolled over to protect the ball.

The crowd went wild. It was perhaps the biggest cheer he's heard for any play yet during camp.

“I just thought everybody would love it if I just slid in practice for once,” Griffin said. “And I went ahead and did that. I find it easier to slide in football pants than shorts. It was a little harder, but I slid and everybody liked it.”

Even coach Mike Shanahan laughed.

“I thought it was good. … It's got to become automatic,” Shanahan said. “No matter what you do, there has got to be an emphasis there. The player's got to believe in it. They have got to think it. If you use it do it in practice, it happens in games.”

Griffin III told ESPN.com on Monday that he will wear a knee brace all season but doesn't expect it to restrict him on the playing field.

It's an odd sight when people drive hundreds of miles to holler for their favorite player to take it easy, but many in the crowd at camp are content to sit back and watch Griffin sit back and watch, yelling things such as : “RG3, take care of that knee” and “We don't need you to play in preseason.” They naturally cheer when he does get to throw, but they already know he can do that. They're still waiting for him to master the slide.

Griffin has been kept out of the main 11-on-11 drills during the first few days of camp.

“It's not easy to sit around and watch,” Griffin said.

“I call it ‘Operation Patience.'
”

RAVENS RE-SIGN

FULLBACK LEACH

Baltimore never gave up hope of getting back fullback Vonta Leach, and the Ravens got their wish.

Leach signed a two-year contract with the defending Super Bowl champions after testing the free-agent market.

“I'm excited about it. It's great news,” Coach John Harbaugh said. “We've been in contact, we've been talking all along. It worked out great for the Ravens.”

Leach paved the way for running back Ray Rice to gain 1,143 yards last season. Leach ran nine times for 32 yards during the regular season.

But Leach was released by Baltimore in June. At the time, Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome left open the possibility that Leach could come back.

Houston, Miami and the New York Giants expressed interest, but not enough to persuade Leach to sign with them.

NBA LEGEND WEST

BELIEVES IN NEWTON

NBA legend Jerry West joked that while Cam Newton may not have what it takes to play power forward in the NBA, the Panthers quarterback certainly has the makeup to lead Carolina to a Super Bowl championship.

“It's up to him at his period in life to grow and make everyone around him better,” West said of Newton. “I think he's going to be the kind of player everyone anticipates he will be and get them to highest level. He has a lot of obstacles ahead of him but I think he's the guy to do it.”

West knows a thing or two about talent evaluation, albeit in a different sport. He won six NBA championships as general manager of the Lakers. He currently serves as an adviser for Golden State.

West visited training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., as a guest of Panthers owner Jerry Richardson. West and Richardson originally met in the 1980s in Los Angeles and have become close friends in recent years.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Six-time Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb will be inducted into the Eagles' Hall of Fame and have his jersey retired Sept. 19 when they play the Kansas City Chiefs in a nationally televised Thursday night game.

Former Philadelphia coach Andy Reid, who drafted McNabb with the No. 2 overall pick in 1999, now coaches the Chiefs. …

Jacksonville quarterback Blaine Gabbert sprained his right ankle during practice and left the field on a cart. He was seen walking around the Jaguars facility wearing tennis shoes and walking without a limp about two hours later. …

Tennessee agreed to terms with offensive guard Chance Warmack, who had been the last remaining unsigned first-round draft pick. …

Brad Smith restructured the final two years of his contract with Buffalo in a move that provides the versatile playmaker a better shot at making the young team's receiver-stocked roster. …

Philadelphia linebacker Jason Phillips tore his right ACL in practice. It is the same injury wide receiver Jeremy Maclin suffered two days earlier. …

Two more members of the Pilot Flying J sales staff pleaded guilty in Nashville, Tenn., to defrauding customers at the truck-stop chain owned by the family of Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.

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